State Department app gives travel lowdown

The U.S. State Department is reaching out to travelers with an iPhone app.

Name: Smart Traveler.

Available for: iPhone.

What it does: Provides the latest travel warnings and travel alerts for countries, listed A to Z, plus information you need to know before you go, such as entry and exit requirements, safety and security, embassy locations, medical insurance, children's issues and more. You can also forward the information to friends by email.

Cost: Free.

What's hot: The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which allows you to enter details about your upcoming trip so that the State Department can assist you in an emergency. Americans living abroad can also use the program to access information about the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

What's not: Some pages I saw were blank. It was hard for me to tell whether the site was having trouble loading, or there was no information on a particular topic for that country.

Worth it: Why not? It's best to be prepared before traveling abroad.

Los Angeles Times